How's your credit union’s brand?

MACU E-Newsletter

What is the brand management competency level of your credit union? Not sure? Answer these five questions, and you’ll get an idea of where your credit union ranks.

1. How do people inside your credit union talk about your brand?

1. It’s all about the logo.
2. The marketing department has a special way that they seem to talk about our brand, but it hasn’t been passed on to anyone else.
3. Everyone in the credit union understands our brand strategy—we all know how to live our brand!

2. How well does your credit union understand its members?

1. We get some pretty good stories from our front-line staff!
2. We’ve conducted a couple of informal surveys with our members over the past few years—mostly related to customer satisfaction.
3. We conduct at least one comprehensive quantitative study a year with our members, focused on awareness and brand attributes.

3. What is your brand’s point of view?

1. We define our brand by the products and services we offer.
2. Our brand is defined by what we do for our members.
3. We understand and talk about out members’ emotional connection to our brand.

4. Does your credit union have brand identity standards guidelines?

1. I think we do. Somewhere.
2. We have guidelines that cover the basics—logo design, stationery, typography, colour palette.
3. Our detailed brand guidelines are housed on our intranet, and we have individuals who monitor and answer questions related to maintaining our brand standards.

5. How active is senior management in the credit union’s brand management activities?

1. If it’s not directly related to sales, forget it.
2. It participates in and supports brand-related initiatives, but there is no clear brand champion on the senior management team.
3. All our executives talk about the brand, and the senior management team incorporates key brand management issues in the credit union’s strategic plan.

How to score and interpret your answers:

Answer 1 is worth 1 point; 2 is worth 2 points; and 3 is worth 3 points.

0 to 5 points. Your credit union is product-focused, and the capacity to build strong member relationships eludes you. Don't worry, you are far from alone.

6 to 10 points. Your credit union is beginning to incorporate some brand management practices into daily business activities, but there's more that could be done.

11 to 15 points. Congratulations! Your credit union is approaching the brand management mountaintop. No doubt you have experienced the benefits of loyal member relationships.

About the author: Tim McAlpine is the creative director of Currency Marketing. Award-winning Currency Marketing is Canada's leading credit union marketing agency. The professionals at Currency are experts in helping credit unions relaunch, promote, and reposition their brands across all points of member contact. Currency Marketing is based in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

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